Improved Bus Options Begin on Aug. 20

Aug. 09, 2018

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Razorback Transit buses come through the heart of campus at Union Station regularly.

Razorback Transit and Ozark Regional Transit will begin collaborating to provide improved transportation options in the Fayetteville, beginning Aug. 20, following action taken by the Fayetteville city council.

This means riders will have free service on bus routes within the city limits.

It will also mean that Razorback Transit can intensify efforts in some locations, such as the routes that get riders to Walmart on Martin Luther King Blvd.

The city's transportation committee heard a proposal for a collaborative effort on July 10, and the council approved it on Aug. 7.

Adam Waddell, associate director for Razorback Transit, said thsi should be of great benefit not just for Razorback Transit and its riders, but to everyone riding buses in the city..

"The big change," he said, "is that riders can seamlessly transfer from one bus to another without a fare within the city limits."

Razorback Transit is federally funded and already operates fare free. No customer, whether student or non-student, has to pay to ride. ORT charges a modest fee.

With the new arrangement, however, riders will not have to get off of a free route and then get on a route in which they have to pay, as long as the route is within the city.

ORT routes that run outside of the city will still cost $1.25 per fare, assessed when boarding, even if the rider is transferring from a free route within Fayetteville.

"From our perspective," Waddell said, "we are excited to be serving both the university and the city by providing the service, including frequent routes on MLK. It's going to be a win for everyone."

During peak service times, Razorback Transit will make a trip every 15 minutes to the Walmart on MLK Boulevard. In evenings and on Saturdays, the bus will arrive every 40 minutes.

During the regular school year, Razorback Transit has some routes that run as late as 10:40 p.m. There are no routes on Sunday, on holidays, or on any day that the University of Arkansas is closed.

The collaboration between Razorback Transit and Ozark Regional Transit will also mean that ORT can provide increased service to the areas in which it has routes.

Since 1989, Razorback Transit has been supported by a federal grant and has served the core of the City of Fayetteville by transporting passengers fare-free. It is a crucial part of the daily operation of the University of Arkansas, transporting more than 8,800 people per day when school is in session. Ridership, however, is not limited to those who are affiliated with the university. Anyone may ride, and over the course of a given year, Razorback Transit has more than 2 million passengers.